In honor of the release of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, I wanted to share some life lessons I think are to be learned from the Harry Potter series. I learned these lessons myself, while growing up reading the books. And I hope to pass them on to my daughter as she grows.
*Spoilers from the Harry Potter series included below.*
Being smart is a good thing.
Growing up, I was a total teacher’s pet and know-it-all. Of course, I was also teased relentlessly for it. Enter Hermione Granger, and suddenly my world was rocked. She was smart. So smart! And she was not ashamed of it at all. What a role model I suddenly had. I took pride in being like Hermione. I realized through identifying with her character, that intelligence and being well0educated are things to strive for—not a reason to be ashamed. Just look at all of the amazing things Hermione accomplished and how many times she saved the day—all due to her intelligence.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Harry. Luna Lovegood. Hagrid. Professor Lupin. Dobby. All unique people who stayed true to themselves no matter what. All strong characters, who did great good in the Harry Potter universe. Even though others looked down on them and, at times, mistreated and judged them, they never faltered in who they were—even though it would have made life easier. Which brings me to my next point…..
Be kind to people different from you.
Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and even Professor Umbridge, feared, hated, and wanted to punish people different than them. They thrived on that hatred and fear. In the end, it contributed to each of their downfalls. Kindness prevailed time and again.
Love is powerful.
Just as kindness continually prevailed in the Harry Potter series, love overcame all. Love is the driving force in every book. Snape’s love for Lily. James and Lily’s love for Harry. Harry’s love for his friends. Love conquered differences and evil and hate and discrimination. If you take no other lesson from Harry Potter, take the lesson of love. In this day and age, with unimaginable evil, sorrow, and hatred everywhere we turn, the world needs a large dose of love. Loving others despite their differences from you and putting the needs of others before yourself will go a long way. That is especially something I hope to instill in my daughter.